On Saturday, November 25, 2017, Ukraine International turns 25. Back on November 25, 1992, UIA operated the first ever PS flight between Kiev and London. This date is considered to be the airline’s birthday.
Over the course of 25 years, UIA carried over 42 million passengers and operated approximately 400 thousand flights. The UIA aircraft covered approximately 700 million kilometers. Founded back in 1992 as an international point-to-point carrier aimed at establishing non-stop operations between Ukraine and Western Europe, in a quarter of a century UIA transformed into a large network airline with an extensive route network in America and Africa, Europe and Asia, the Middle East and the CIS countries. Currently, UIA connects Ukraine with 38 countries, operates over 1100 domestic and international scheduled flights per week on 40 aircraft, and provides connections with its international partners’ flights to over 3,000 other destinations worldwide.In 2017, UIA received 4 Boeing 737-800 NGs, including a brand new aircraft right off the production line, enhanced flight geography up to ten Ukrainian cities, launched several new medium-haul flights, increased frequencies on a number of Western European routes, received the seventh IOSA Certificate, introduced the new check-in concept, and offered low-cost ticket fares. Within the period of January – November 2017, over 6.5 million clients flew with UIA. In 2018, UIA plans to launch non-stop scheduled flights to Toronto, Canada, and Delhi, India, as well as to offer new destinations in China.
Over the course of the following 5 years, UIA expects to expand and renew fleet, start operating long-haul wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft, actively enhance east and southeast flight vectors, increase frequencies on westbound routes, further develop a hub at Kiev Boryspil International Airport, and double the number of connecting waves. The latter empowers the carrier to equally distribute operating load and use the existing infrastructure and resources more efficiently.
“I would like to thank each and every passenger who has flown with UIA over the course of 25 years, – noted Yuri Miroshnikov, UIA President – We are truly proud of the fact that since 1992 so many travelers internationally have been making the UIA history, the history of the dream that had come true through will, efforts, and painstaking work of dreamers, doers, believers, and bravehearts passionately attached to aviation. The sky has no limit. Therefore, we are committed to moving forward and becoming East Europe’s leading carrier. Shortly, we will offer new destinations in Europe and North America. A few years later, our passengers will be provided with an opportunity to reach Singapore, Hong Kong, and other first-tier cities of Asia.”
